Momento
by Jinipan
Summary: Part of the Little Soldier Boys AU. He doesn't owe anyone anything, Zhao tells himself when he decides to help Prince Zuko capture the Avatar. Now if only he could control his urge to strangle the moody prince every two minutes.
1. Chapter 1

Zhao was leaning back in his chair reading through the he sent out a week ago, when Lieutenant Jiye entered his office with a slightly annoyed air. She stopped in front of his desk, and somehow straightened her back even more before giving him a respectful Fire Nation greeting.

"Commander Zhao," she began, "Captain Xi has informed me that General Iroh and Prince Zuko had stopped in the harbor during both our absences."

Zhao finally glanced at her, an eyebrow raised up in surprise. "The Prince?" he asked with a gruff voice.

"Yes," she answered, "They came to have their ship repaired. The ship was badly damaged when they arrived. The hull was broken in several areas, the engine smoking and the deck oddly punctured and deformed."

Zhao looked at her thoughtfully, "Did they mention what had caused such extensive damage?" Jiye shook her head.

Zhao paused, leaning back into his chair, analyzing the information. "Very well then. Tell Captain Xi to promptly send me a report on the damage."

She nodded and reached into her sleeve, pulling out a thin scroll. "We've also received a message from the capital," she said presenting the scroll to him.

Zhao took it. 'How strange,' he thought as he looked at the royal seal, 'it's directly from the war council.' He narrowed his eyes as he broke the seal and unrolled the scroll before him. He read the first few lines with a sudden surprised look on his face, but that look was quickly replaced by a frown.

Lieutenant Jiye silently watched his changing expression with a practiced look of indifference on her face. She remained unmoving even after Zhao set the scroll down and looked up with the frown still present on his face.

'So the rumors had been true,' he thought, 'the avatar was alive.' His mind raced as he thought of the potential complications they now faced. He recalled how the Earth kingdom armies had been pushing back harder as of late. Perhaps they had met the avatar already? That would explain their sudden change, that and the sudden movement around Omashu. Zhao smirked. Despite the new activity, the different Earth Kingdom armies were still terribly disorganized and vulnerable against the Fire Nation armies. The Avatar's reappearance, Zhao concluded, was of no significance. Sure more people may pick up their arms against the Fire Nation as they became hopeful by his sudden reappearance. But if the rumors were completely true, the avatar was but a pathetic child, incapable of using all the raw power he possessed. Capturing him, then, would be quite a simple task. All he had to do was strategically corner him before sending the unexpected final blow.

Zhao's smirked flattered. His blooming plans suddenly overshadowed by the thought of Prince Zuko. Without any warning, the horrific scene of the Agni Kai replayed vividly in his mind, bringing back memories of the sickening stench of burned flesh and the horrifying screams that had filled the dimly lit arena. The image of Prince Zuko's limp form curling up into itself once again burned onto the back of his eyes and Lu Ten's soft voice suddenly rang in his ears.

Zhao's heart sank. Their last conversation had come to haunt him again. Zhao closed his eyes and furrowed his brows.

Taking a quick breathe, he opened them again and slowly regained awareness of his surroundings.

"We have a new mission, Jiye," he said as he rolled the scroll back up again, "The avatar is alive and we are to capture him at all cost." Jiye's eyes widen, but Zhao continued, "I want you to get the fleet ready - I plan to disembark as soon as possible."

Lieutenant Jiye narrowed her eyes, quickly regaining her composure. "Of course Admiral." With a click of her boots, she sharply turned around and began walking away.

"Jiye," Zhao suddenly called and she abruptly stopped, her hand on the door. She looked over her slim shoulder with a blank look.

"Find out Prince Zuko's current route."

Prince Zuko was taking a rare moment to himself. He was shirtless as he sat cross legged on the floor before a few candles meditating. With every deep slow breathe he cleared his mind, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings, the stillness of the air, the soft lull of the sea and the pained groaning of the metal ship.  
He remained peaceful, eyes closed as he heard his uncle's heavy steps approaching.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh called, voice a bit breathless as he entered the boy's room, "Captain Zhao is on the ship and wants to speak with you."

Zuko's eyes immediately glared open, his shoulders tensed as he got up. "What!" he loudly snarled. General Iroh frowned at him. "Please Prince Zuko, we must be careful. He's not here alone. His fleet has surrounded us." Zuko growled loudly at that. He quickly dressed and fastened his armor tightly to his chest before rushing out his room with his uncle behind him. "It better be important. I don't have time for this!" he shouted as he clenched his hands into tight fists.

When he finally reached the war room, Prince Zuko was fuming. In his rage he slammed the door open, creating a terrible bang. He glared at Zhao who stood straight with his hands behind his back as he looked at one of the many maps laying upon Zuko's desk with blank expression.

Although he had not looked up at the offending noise, the slim woman next to him did. She turned to face Prince Zuko, her long black ponytail swinging away from her slim face as she did. She raised eyebrow at the angry Prince, giving him a highly unimpressed look.

Prince Zuko felt his good eye twitch as his anger swelled. Before his uncle could stop him, Zuko had marched over to Zhao and slammed his fist on the desk. "Captain Zhao what are you doing on my ship?" he growled.

Zhao glanced up and gave him a deadpan look. "It's Commander Zhao," he retorted with a self-satisfying smirk, completely unmoved by Zuko's anger.

General Iroh suddenly stepped forward, coming to Zuko's side. "Ah, congratulations on the promotion Zhao!" the former general said in a friendly but nervous tone, "We had not heard the great news."

Zhao bowed politely at him, "Much appreciated General Iroh."

Zuko growled again, "I asked you a question Zhao."

Zhao straighten up, his gaze returning to the Prince.

"I have come to offer you my assistance in capturing the avatar."

Once the words left his mouth, three set of eyes shifted to Zhao in shock. He heard Jiye take a deep and unsteady breath behind him. The Prince and his uncle's reactions, Zhao noted, were not much better. General Iroh's mouth hung open, his eyebrows high on his forehead, threatening to reach his receding hairline. The Prince, on the other hand seemed to be frozen at the spot. All the anger had disappeared from his face and he slowly opened his mouth only to rapidly close it again.

After a few minutes Zuko finally composed himself. "What's the meaning of this Zhao?" he barked, his anger quickly returning.

Zhao shrugged with an uninterested look on his face. "It's as I told you – I am offering my assistance."

Zuko narrowed his good eye, its shape matching that of his deformed one. "Your help is not needed Admiral," he sneered.

Zhao smirked, "I beg to differ."

Zuko eyes quickly flashed with emotion and suddenly he snapped. He roared as he launched himself towards Zhao only to be stopped by his uncle's strong grip on his shoulders. In front, of Zhao stood Jiye with a clenched fist just mere inches from Zuko's face, heat radiating from her knuckles. She had rapidly moved when she had seen the prince move into an attack. She sneered at the Prince and increased the heat slightly, daring the Prince to move.

With his nephew still secured in his grip, General Iroh turned to Zhao with a questioning look, eyes glinting with a hint of distrust.

Zhao frowned. "Jiye," he snapped, "leave us." Lieutenant Jiye's head snapped at him, and she observed him with searching eyes. Their eyes met briefly before she quickly looked away. Without a word she lowered her arm and stepped outside.

Once he heard the door close behind her, Zhao turned his attention back to General Iroh.

"I am genuine about my offer."

"Admiral Zhao, this is –" Iroh began, clearly lost for words.

With a grunt, Zuko broke from his uncle's grip. "Why should we trust you? " he sneered, stepping closer to Zhao, glaring up at him, their faces mere inches from each other.

Zhao could barely contain himself from rolling his eyes. "It seems you don't understand the gravity of your circumstances Prince Zuko. You truly aren't in any position to argue or deny an offer like mine."  
Zhao turned and took a few steps to the cabin window, staring into the vast distance. "You see, the high council has confirmed the avatar's return and on behalf of your father, they are not only commanding everyone to capture the avatar upon encounter but are also deploying a special force to capture him."

Zuko's eyes widened, "Impossible! It's my mission to capture the avatar."

Zhao turned back to Zuko with a frown. "No, it was your father's pathetic excuse. Although he didn't outright state it, your father exiled you with no intention for you to ever return."

"You're lying! My father sent me away because I lost my honor. With the avatar he will accept me."

Zhao raised an eyebrow giving Zuko a disappointed look. "Is that really what you think?"

Zuko grit his teeth, hurt flashed momentarily in his eyes behind the anger. And General Iroh stepped forward, and placed a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder.

Zhao sighed. "Very well Prince." He tipped his head respectfully and walked past them towards the door. Stopping when he reached the door, he slid a hand into his armor and pulled out a scroll. "It's your choice," he muttered, tossing it over his shoulder.

Zuko caught it with a swing of his arm and briefly inspected the scroll's broken seal before glaring at Zhao's back.

"My offer still stands," he heard Zhao say before he slammed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Zuko furiously unrolled the scroll. His mind has been running since the moment he recognized its intricate seal as the high council's. As his eyes quickly scanned the written text, Zuko paled. With shaking hands, he held the scroll as his eyes trailed to the end of the message where 6 intricate stamps were carefully placed into a row, one below the other.

Zuko expression darkened.

Iroh frowned. "What it is it Zuko?" he asked looking at Zuko with concern, slowly reaching for him. But Zuko remained silent.

Zuko grit his teeth, 'The stamps, those were the high council's stamp seals. He hadn't been lying,' he thought. Zuko slammed the scroll on the table. He suddenly wanted to scream out in anger but instead felt weak, his vision blurring.

He stumbled a bit before he managed to place both hands on the table, fingers digging into the hard wood as he tried to steady himself.

Somehow has uncle had made it to his side, reaching out to support him but Zuko raised his hand stopping him.

Iroh paused but his eyes glinted with worry, "Prince Zuko what happened?" he asked again.

"It's true. Zhao didn't lie."

General Iroh frowned, he reached over and picked up the discarded scroll. His frowned deepened when he saw the high council's seals stamped at the end.

"Prince Zuko, what do you plan to do now?" he asked looking back up to Zuko's hunched figure.

Zuko took in a shaky breath, "I don't know uncle," he answered weakly. "I can't….."

Iroh's eyes filled with sadness, clearly worried by Zuko's downcast appearance, but his expression suddenly hardened.

"Will you take Zhao's offer?"

Zuko head snapped up at his uncle. He met his uncle's searching eyes with surprise, noting the unusually hard expression on his face.

Zuko frowned. While Zhao's smirking face and snarky attitude had made him fume with anger, he had to admit he didn't know the man well. Thus he had naturally been suspicious of Zhao's sudden offer.

But Zuko recalled hearing about him years ago when the high council had gathered the nation's various military leaders at the Fire Nation palace. At the time, Zuko had been still been a child, merely thirteen years old, the scar not yet marking his face.

He had been laying in the garden, his slim figure hidden by the tall fire lilies as he waited patiently for his uncle to arrive. From his hiding spot, he had heard footsteps slowly approaching. Peering through the thick stems he had seen two old officials walking along the garden path.

"Infuriating imbecile," one of them had grumbled angrily. "How dare he show up and insult us in that manner. He deserves to be cut down for his transgression."

The other man had merely chuckled at his companion's anger. "Impossible. Did you not see how the council swayed under him? Regardless of his crudeness, they believed he was ultimately right."

"Right? His plans are ridiculous!"

"So it may appear from our position but he has proven himself to be a valuable asset. That man has never failed - he is truly as vicious as they come."

"Hmmpf! Fools! They are walking into his trap. They give him boundless freedom, sending him to the enemy like a rabid patherdog, but don't realize that someday he will rip them to shreds. After all a man like him only cares about himself."

"Perhaps, but I doubt our esteemed Lord would allow such a menace to run free with his army," he heard the other say as they walked away.

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he memory ended. He turned away from his uncle's gaze, "Of course not. I don't care what he says, I don't trust him."

Behind his back, his uncle smiled slightly at the response. "What shall we do then nephew? The situation is rapidly evolving."

Zuko straightened himself up, "We will continue like always – fighting against the odds," he answered. He turned back to his uncle, "From the letter's specific wording, it's safe to assume their search team will be leaving from the capital. That gives us a few days to slow them down."

General Iroh raised an eyebrow, "Are you suggesting we give them misleading information?"

"No-" Zuko answered as he reached for a piece of parchment and brush, "-the other fire nation soldiers and the earth citizens will when they spread the newest rumors about the avatar."

Iroh frowned but then smiled widely, "Why of course Prince Zuko."

"And-" Zuko added as he quickly wrote, "- we will make it clear to Zhao that we refuse his offer." He set his brush down and blew hot air on the wet ink, drying it before rolling the parchment up and handing it to his uncle.

"I don't plan on sharing the Avatar with anyone."

* * *

After stepping back on his ship, Zhao was met by Jiye's intense gaze. Zhao didn't give her a second glance as he walked across the deck. Jiye eyes narrowed slightly but she quickly fixed her face before walking after him.

"Tell the others to prepare their engines, I want to reach Hiran as soon as possible," Zhao commanded.

"Admiral," Jiye began, "about your offer to Prince Zuko…"

Zhao stopped abruptly and frowned at her, immediately silencing her. "That changes nothing Lieutenant.

Jiye frowned slightly, "But Admiral…"

Zhao looked at her completely unmoved, "Lieutenant Jiye, I believe I gave you orders."

If Jiye felt offended at Zhao's sharp responses, she didn't let it show. Instead she stiffly nodded at him before walking off.

Zhao watched her for a moment with narrow eyes, before heading inside towards his office.

Once in his office, he immediately walked to the massive shelfs on the right and pulled out a huge map. Setting it down on the edge of a table nearby, he pushed the map, unrolling it across the hard wooden surface.

From his desk he took a brush and a pot of black ink, placing it on one corner of the map. He wasted no time to dip the brush in ink and quickly drew the route he had memorized from Prince Zuko's map.

When he was done, Zhao took a step back, examining his work. As his eyes traced the drawn route, he concluded that the route he had copied from Zuko's map was rather recent. Perhaps the prince had started it a few months ago. Zhao closed his eyes trying to recall the map on Zuko's desk, wanting to remember the specific strokes and markings the prince had made on it.

The markings on the map had been neat and orderly before they reached the South Pole. After that the drawn trail had become messy, with sudden loops and markings, suggesting the route had been constantly reworked.

Although Zhao was no expert in map analysis, he had plenty of war experience. Experience that had taught him how to carefully read between the lines as he ruthlessly pursued enemies and crushed his competition. Which is why he had no doubt that Prince Zuko had first came across the Avatar weeks ago.

'So he had known - of course,' thought Zhao as he recalled the Prince's anger, 'Prince Zuko wouldn't have told anyone. He still thinks the Avatar is his ticket home.' Zhao thought back to the damage on Zuko's ship. Captain Xi's report had suggested that some of the damage had been old. He had pointed to some of the smaller punctures on the deck, stating that they were crusted and oxidized by sea salt -a process that didn't necessarily happen overnight.

Zhao frowned. The Prince was a complete moron, that and absolutely irritating. He wondered how General Iroh could possibly stand him when Zhao, who had not even been in that room for ten minutes, had been close to losing it. 'Just like Lu Ten,' he thought as he looked back to his map, 'only much, much worse. At least Lu Ten had never been that angry or foolish, just overly friendly.'

He glanced back down at the map, his fingers tracing the end of Prince Zuko's current route. So far it was heading north. 'Very well,' he thought, perhaps it was time to set his plan in motion.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Zhao called. He looked up and saw a soldier salute stiffly. "Admiral Zhao we just received this message from an unidentified firehawk," the soldier seemed to shout nervously as he presented a small rolled up piece of parchment to an unimpressed Zhao.

Zhao took it, inspecting the wax seal briefly before he broke it and unrolled it. Zhao smirked at the short message. _Stay out my way._ 'How typical,' he thought.

"Very well soldier," he said looking back up. "Get me the Raven Eagle." The soldier nodded and scrambled out his office.

Zhao smiled a bit wickedly to himself as he went over to his desk and sat down. 'Yes,' he thought, 'this doesn't change a thing.'


End file.
